statemen from top rank...
"Top Rank is very disappointed at Kelly's sudden decision to discontinue the rebuilding of his boxing career," said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, Pavlik's promoter. "Kelly's team specifically outlined a strategy for Kelly to return to the ring in an effective fashion. Kelly's team gave us their objectives and we set them on a course, which began last May with Kelly's fight against Alfonso Lopez and was to continue on Saturday against Darryl Cunningham. It seems Kelly has derailed this plan."

Kelly Pavlik has threatened to pull out of Saturday's fight against Darryl Cunningham over the offer he received to face IBF super middleweight titleholder Lucian Bute in his next fight, ******.com has learned.

A source familiar with the negotiations said Pavlik (36-2, 32 knockouts) is upset because he has been offered far less by his promotion frim, Top Rank, than Mikkel Kessler was offered to face Bute. Kessler turned down the offer.

"Kelly had heard that Kessler was being offered something like $3.5 million, and that he turned that down. So Kelly wasn't really happy with the $1.1 million that Top Rank was offering him," the source said on Tuesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"So I would say that right now, I don't think that (Saturday's) fight's going to happen. Unless, of course, Top Rank comes back with something (better)."

Pavlik, the former middleweight champion, pulled out of a fight with Paul Williams last year because of a staph infection in his hand.

Very upsetting, after catching the E60 program, I was looking forward to this guy rejuvenating himself, and now...smh. If this is true, we're all thinking the same question, what have you done that makes you think you deserve a bigger payday, let alone one as large as 1.1, and then you have the nerve to turn it down.

Bute-Pavlik is a big fight. The biggest of Bute's career and a fight that will bring him recognition in the US. Offering just about the same as Magee is just laugable IMO.

What's laughable to me is that you spent weeks saying Interbox made a lowball offer to Kessler, and now that a neutral party involved in the game says the offer was 3.5M, you don't talk about it anymore...

What's laughable to me is that you spent weeks saying Interbox made a lowball offer to Kessler, and now that a neutral party involved in the game says the offer was 3.5M, you don't talk about it anymore...

3½M is still lowball, even if they did offer that. That fight would give close to 10M in revenue.

I'd like to hear how they get 10M revenue... I can't see it unless I vastly underestimate Euro TV money. But since it would be during the night in Europe, I doubt they would be giving that much money.

Here's a, by nature, rough estimate. Feel free to expand if you have any relevant info:

2½M from Showtime (US rights)
2M from Canadian PPV (rough estimate)
1M from danish PPV
1M from other territories such as UK, eastern europe. (Rough estimate)
3M from the gate (might be more)
½M Sitefee from stadium (german stadiums pay for a klitfight). ROugh estimate.

I probably/likely are missing out on some parts, but I think I'm in the ballpark and surely the visiting fighter in a Bute-Kessler showdown should have the lions share. Something like a 60/40 split in favour of the visiting fighter seems fair to me.

Here's a, by nature, rough estimate. Feel free to expand if you have any relevant info:

2½M from Showtime (US rights).......No way2M from Canadian PPV (rough estimate).....Yes, Maybe1M from danish PPV ..........Yep..1M from other territories such as UK, eastern europe. (Rough estimate)..not UK but maybe romania yes..3M from the gate (might be more)...........Lol you must be joking..
½M Sitefee from stadium (german stadiums pay for a klitfight). ROugh estimate.

I probably/likely are missing out on some parts, but I think I'm in the ballpark and surely the visiting fighter in a Bute-Kessler showdown should have the lions share. Something like a 60/40 split in favour of the visiting fighter seems fair to me.

Sorry but you overestimate everything here, no way is showtime paying 2 and a half, no way UK are paying anything to show the fight, and no way would the live gate be 3M....